Sunday, 8 December 2013

Ambition to Live - Short Film Fights for your Attention

So, over here on this blog, and the podcasts, I have been recently championing the medium of "Short Film". From chatting to Short Film Creators ( The Dinner Party Podcast ) and even dabbling in the medium myself ( Chess for Idiots ) I have been constantly saying "Short Films" are something we should all be getting behind and championing.
I believe Short Films are a great way for people to get creative and have a platform to showcase their abilities. Whether it be amateur film makers like myself or professional film makers, it's all relevent to being able to put forward a story in a short space of time.

So, over here on this blog, and the podcasts, I have been recently championing the medium of "Short Film". From chatting to Short Film Creators ( The Dinner Party Podcast ) and even dabbling in the medium myself ( Chess for Idiots ) I have been constantly saying "Short Films" are something we should all be getting behind and championing.
I believe Short Films are a great way for people to get creative and have a platform to showcase their abilities. Whether it be amateur film makers like myself or professional film makers, it's all relevent to being able to put forward a story in a short space of time.

So today I was informed and shown a preview of a Brand New Short film "Ambition to Live".A young boxer prepares for his greatest challenge yet, as he prepares for war against his toughest opponent ever- himself!

Produced,Written and Starring Jordan Pitt, it's a personal tale that echoes his own beliefs during his time as a boxer.“I originally wrote Ambition to Live with the hope inspiring people who fight everyday. No matter what it is,we all fight against something. Whether it’s a single mother struggling to raise her child, someone struggling to pay their bills each month,the list goes on.” he says.“Basically it's about the power of the mind,and if we are strong mentally,we can get through anything”.

I watched the film with hardly any information, background knowledge and idea other than seeing the poster, which is pretty cool I must add, and I have to say it impressed me. The Story was about a young boxer Nathan, who is run down by a car and lays motionless as bystanders gather around to watch as paramedics try to save his life, whilst in a seperate sequence the motionless guy is in a boxing gym gearing up for a fight. Both sequences intertwined as metaphors for his inner battle to survive. His ambition to live I suppose.
The short really had a stunning visual style to it that was shot beautifully and brought grittiness to it, especially in the close ups in the boxing scenes. So fair play to Director Fraser Ayres for that. The pace and narrative was well paced with the metaphors and story played out well to really drive home the message the writer had in mind.

The Short has very limited dialogue, almost silent giving the short's music to take hold of you and bring you into the mind of the protagonist. The Dialogue comes across as almost being heard from a distance, or in a dream, and that is effective to show the focus on what Nathan can hear.
The Acting was well done, given such a short amount of screen time, the actors portray their characters very well and serve their purpose. Jordan Pitt as Nathan is silent throughout but really has intensity in his eyes. Rebecca Ferdinandoplays it well as the distraught girlfriend who arrives at the scene andJohn Pickard& Allyson Ava Brown as the paramedics struggling to keep this guy alive.

A Very well done short that is already gaining credibility and deserved praise on the short film circuit. It is great to see talented, ambitious and enthusiastic people get together to create somebodies vision and I for one will be keeping on eye on the future work of all involved.